The day was Sunday, 31 August, 2008… the venue was Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai’s sacrosanct Prasanthi Nilayam, to be precise, hallowed Bhajan Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam. The congregation was that of 150 odd ‘former students’ of ‘Bhagawan’ in His various educational institutions, employed at various Sri Sathya Sai institutions, in Prasanthi Nilayam – Puttaparthi, Brindavan, Muddenahalli, etc. … and The Host Was ‘Infinitely Divine’, The Lord Supreme, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai. That blessed after noon inside the Bhajan Hall, The Lord Supreme moved amongst them, attending many…, glancing, smiling, speaking, chiding, …granting HimSelf out and out. As the session was coming to a grand-closure, He ‘gathered’ HimSelf in the centre stage for a ‘talk’, flanked by the entire lot like swarm of bees on a honey comb. In His inimitable style He started telling… about something infinitely profound, a would be revision of the Maha Mantra, ‘Lokah Samastha… ’ that comes from the Vedic lore, into ‘Samastha Lokah…’ Thus Spake Sai then: “At the end of the bhajans, you are chanting ‘Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu’. It is really great and expansive. As you chant this, you are thinking of only this world, in which you are living in, implying an individual feeling. This is not correct. It is ‘Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu’, which is an expansive, all-encompassing feeling, covering all the worlds.” Saying so, He asked His ‘swarm of bees’ to intone after Him the revised format…and thus, for the first time in ‘His Story’ and in the history of His creation, the new Maha Mantra reverberated … ‘Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu’. Obviously perplexed, having no clue, the world outside the ‘hall’ listened to the echo, while continuing to sit clueless. Further, Bhagawan asked the ‘boys’ to commence the official chanting from the next ‘holy’ Thursday, 4th September! ‘Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu’ is the elixir for all, all that need to be set right, at all levels, in all the worlds… truly, the ‘Elixir Divine’ for His creation at large.

Why ‘Samastha Lokah…?’ and what is Its added significance?? …and why this transition from ‘Lokah Samastha…‘ into ‘Samastha Lokah…’??? What, Why and many a question can be raised by many minds that dwell in doubts and resort to arguments, but the very fact that the Maha Mantra was borne of The Lord Supreme, in His natural flow sans any pretence, negates all arguments, simply surrendering to His Will Supreme. Does not The Mother know the need of Her child?

If the Maha Mantra was introduced by Bhagawan with His Divine Sankalpa of Cosmic, all- embracing expansion, Samastha Lokah… does cover anything and everything, most unconditionally, rightfully endorsing the legacy of Sri Sathya Sai, that being Love… All-Embracing Love…Unconditional Love… Love That Conquers… simply L-O-V-E!!!

“Samastha Lokah…” is undoubtedly the One Off Universal Maha Mantra that claims credit to Its being from Bhagawan in His physical form. Most of the other Mantras claim their origin from the Vedic time, perceived internally by great and elevated souls. …And such a Maha Mantra that claims its origin from the Divine Resolve Of the Supreme-Most Avatar, One Who Is hailed as The Sarvadevathaatheetha Swarupa, (The Divine Form beyond all other forms) must definitely be power-packed with Intention Of That WholeSome Divinity – The Supreme Resolve.

What could be this power-packed intention from a human perception? The Supreme Lord, from Whose Resolve sprang out this vast creation that include human beings, made humans, the highest of beings with reference to conscious expansion, in His own image… and thus, does want humans to raise to His level of vastness… expansion… becoming That… by Becoming and thus Be, His True Self, Embodiment of Love. This is clear from His ‘own’ words, wherein He spelt out God’s single-most desire in no uncertain terms….

Concluding His Dasara Divine discourse in 2009, Bhagawan spoke thus:

“God illumines the entire universe as the Atma Tatwa (Innate Divine Principle) immanent in all the living beings and objects. Even though God may appear to be involved in so many activities in the world, it is verily for the pleasure of His devotees. He has no desire of His own. He has only one desire – Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu!”

This Mantra stands as the Mantra beyond all other Mantras.. as it is completely selfless and cosmically vast… Pointing to His physical body, He said once that, He Is ‘top-to-toe’ selfless. Indeed, it can be rightly perceived that, this Supreme Lord, Who created man in His own image, does ‘desire’ man to be unmade and remade as… His own… reflecting The Truth beyond all truths, The Essential Sai Para Brahmam.

At a time when Kali is raging to its peak, The Supreme Godhood introduced this Maha Mantra as the panacea for all universal and cosmic maladies. Bhagawan, Who Is verily The Pulse of time, delivered it to the humans at the right time, for him to use it most effectively.

Anyone who tries this Mantra with an innate feeling of Love is sure to experience EXPANSION soon… and thus entitled to ‘Become and Be’, becoming One With Him… The Master Supreme! Sri Sathya Sai – The ‘True’ SadhGuru!!!